Understanding Antiparticles and Their Role in the Universe

• Antiparticles, a ‘partner’ of a particle type with the same mass but opposite charge, are a mysterious phenomenon in the natural world.

• They are a result of quantum mechanics and special relativity.

• Antiparticles are detectably numerous, with our bodies producing one antielectron every 20 seconds.

• Cosmic rays supply antiprotons, antielectrons, and antinuclei.

• Antimatter’s scarcity is evident in the universe, as all galaxies are made of matter.

• The discovery of CP symmetry violation by James Cronin and Val Fitch in 1964 and Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Maskawa in 2024 has further complicated the understanding of antiparticles.